Global coffee prices are rising after several years at near-historic lows that prompted many farmers in Central America to immigrate elsewhere. But higher prices alone are not enough to sustain progress. To ensure long-term, profitable incomes, farmers need support establishing long-lasting market connections, developing climate-resilient growing techniques, and diversifying their incomes.
In this series, we check back with TechnoServe program participants who were previously featured on our blog, documenting how their lives have changed and progressed. María Castillo is a farmer and the president of the Mujeres Valientes association, which sells drought-resistant beans and other agricultural supplies to farmers in southern Honduras.
In Honduras, TechnoServe is helping coffee farmers like Luis Olvera improve their coffee and join local producer organizations. In doing so, they can connect to better markets and sell their coffee in bulk directly to exporters, gaining better prices and better livelihoods.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the potential for a global food crisis. In Honduras, bean producers play an important role in increasing food security. We talked to Tomás Membreño, chief of party for the MAS 2.0 program, to learn how they are improving their livelihoods and contributing to food security through this crisis.
The PROLEMPA project will improve the incomes of 2,200 Honduran coffee producers by promoting key agricultural techniques that boost yields and quality, and by linking farmers to new formal buyers
The Maximizing Opportunities in Coffee and Cacao in the Americas (MOCCA) project was a seven-year initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) through the Food for Progress program. Implemented by TechnoServe and partners, MOCCA worked to support over 120,000 farmers across Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Ecuador, and Peru to overcome barriers to effectively rehabilitating and renovating their coffee and cacao trees.
The ESCOBCAFE school teaches the sons and daughters of coffee growers how to become coffee cuppers, a step up in an important industry.
A few years ago, Reyna Oristela García was struggling to make a living from growing coffee. Today, her coffee farm is flourishing and her family is reaping the benefits.
In 2017, TechnoServe engaged ImpactMatters, an impact audit firm founded with support from Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), to review several projects within our portfolio. This impact audit reviews the Impulsa Tu Empresa program implemented in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua from 2013 to 2017.
Honduran coffee farmers like Rito Girón Hernández are improving their farm productivity and increasing their incomes through the PROLEMPA program.
